Pricing Photography vs. Print Pricing

Brett Mickelson · August 27, 2006

I went out and bought "Pricing Photography," as reccomended, and I was quite disappointed.

First of all, it's a four year old book, which doesn't take into account the great strides made in digital photography in that time period. I'm considering returning it if there is going to be a new version anytime soon.

Second of all, at no point does it mention (at least not that I can find) GENERAL pricing information for prints...it sticks primarily to stock photography and assignment shooting. Fact is, the biggest question I have is what an appropriate print price for a site like this is. Do I sell for the same price I would sell at an event? Do I mark up weddings more than soccer tournaments? Is there a gold standard in the digital industry at this point?

I'm new to SmugMug, so I haven't customized my site or added prices I feel are apropriate yet, but I'd like to know more about this and I haven't found it in this book.

If anyone could give me some insight into print pricing (besides "you decide") and honest opinions as to whether or not this book still applies, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

fotodojo · August 27, 2006

Brett Mickelson wrote:

I went out and bought "Pricing Photography," as reccomended, and I was quite disappointed.

First of all, it's a four year old book, which doesn't take into account the great strides made in digital photography in that time period. I'm considering returning it if there is going to be a new version anytime soon.

Second of all, at no point does it mention (at least not that I can find) GENERAL pricing information for prints...it sticks primarily to stock photography and assignment shooting. Fact is, the biggest question I have is what an appropriate print price for a site like this is. Do I sell for the same price I would sell at an event? Do I mark up weddings more than soccer tournaments? Is there a gold standard in the digital industry at this point?

I'm new to SmugMug, so I haven't customized my site or added prices I feel are apropriate yet, but I'd like to know more about this and I haven't found it in this book.

If anyone could give me some insight into print pricing (besides "you decide") and honest opinions as to whether or not this book still applies, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Brett,

I don't think I am going to be able to answer your query in any sort of way that would fit into a neat soundbite - I'm not sure but don't think the answer is all that clearly definable.

I'm not a full-time professional photog, I have a dayjob which provided me with a sufficient income to pay basic bills - so my figures may be less that the professional photog that needs to support his/her family, the mortgage etc.

Someone, I forgot who, once told me this "price it as high as the market will bear". And I try to live by that. I.e. casual, personal low risk job = lower price. Commercial one-time event= higher price.

If you want a more "commerical line on this" have a look at the NPPA's Cost of doing business calculator.
just my 2c worth.

--
Jon

meewolfie · August 28, 2006

Hi Brett - I also bought the book and was similarly disappointed.

The idea in the book is that you will take in to account every expense related to your photography business then add the profit margin you desire and from that determine the prices that you need to charge. Do a rough estimate and see what the numbers tell you. (You may not be able to use the charts in the book, but you should be able to get some idea of the expenses that are worth considering)

As an alternative method, whenever I find a photographer who does similar work to what I am hoping to do, I check out their pricing and packages. It's even better if it's a photographer who is working in my area - as their prices are a better indication of the going rate in my local market (what someone charges in NYC may not be the same as what someone charges in a smaller market).

Using this method, I've been able to identify a range of prices for packages and prints.

You can compare the numbers that you have come up with based on your expenses to those that other local photographers are charging and see whether there are any significant differences. Obviously, a photographer operating out of a full-time studio will be different than someone doing freelance work on location.

One thing I have taken away from many of the conversations that I've read here on dgrin and around the web is that it's better to err on the side of more expensive - you can always offer special discounts. Discounting higher prices is better than charging too little initially and then finding out that you need to raise your rates in the future.

Hope that helps!

Mary

claudermilk · August 28, 2006

I'm certainly no expert & am still struggling with this. But, in a nutshell, for pricing prints here I just browsed a bunch of other's sites that listed pricing to get a feel for what the market charged and put myself in the middle of that.

athos · August 29, 2006

ive jsut started selling prints. only a few of them.

the two latest requests were for shots 24 x 30 or so in size.

a poster that size would cost me $15 to print - so i added 40 bucks to that, plus shipping.

a photo print that size done by a fine art printing place would cost me about $90, so i added 60 to that and gave a price of $150 plus shipping.

both parties accepted the price gladly. i dont know their economic status since this is all via the internet.

i havent really read any threads on the matter but i think i am going to start now.

Khaos · August 29, 2006

athos wrote:

ive jsut started selling prints. only a few of them.

the two latest requests were for shots 24 x 30 or so in size.

a poster that size would cost me $15 to print - so i added 40 bucks to that, plus shipping.

a photo print that size done by a fine art printing place would cost me about $90, so i added 60 to that and gave a price of $150 plus shipping.

both parties accepted the price gladly. i dont know their economic status since this is all via the internet.

I checked out your galleries. You have some very nice work there. I believe most would accept those prices gladly, I think it's a steal.

Art Scott · August 29, 2006

Where's YOUR MARKET area????????

Brett Mickelson wrote:

I went out and bought "Pricing Photography," as reccomended, and I was quite disappointed.

First of all, it's a four year old book, which doesn't take into account the great strides made in digital photography in that time period. I'm considering returning it if there is going to be a new version anytime soon.

Second of all, at no point does it mention (at least not that I can find) GENERAL pricing information for prints...it sticks primarily to stock photography and assignment shooting. Fact is, the biggest question I have is what an appropriate print price for a site like this is. Do I sell for the same price I would sell at an event? Do I mark up weddings more than soccer tournaments? Is there a gold standard in the digital industry at this point?

I'm new to SmugMug, so I haven't customized my site or added prices I feel are apropriate yet, but I'd like to know more about this and I haven't found it in this book.

If anyone could give me some insight into print pricing (besides "you decide") and honest opinions as to whether or not this book still applies, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

The book is a good reference book, however actually only if you live in the area the author works out of....meaning...if the author is a New York based photo then he charges NY prices....

Where is your clientel....what will the market bear (or is BARE..hmmm) any way......it is YOUR market area that you need to cater to and derive your business from.

I started out giving my work away....the going price for a wedding done by the studio / bridal gown shops was around $350.00 for 3-4 hours of coverage and 120 to 160 prints...in a nice leather 3.5 / 4 X 5 embossed and printed proof book....so I started shooting them for 100 bucks....making about $35 profit....but the clients were not breaking my doors down....same with portraits..the going sitting fee was around $25 including 12 to 18 3.5 / X 5 proofs.......I shot for $15..making about $5.00....until I was having a lighting conversation with a well know photog from Malibu Ca and he told me to raise my prices....double them and yes I would lose clients but I would in the end gain better cleints.....and I did...I also raised my freelance wedding price from $25/ wedding to $100 and got more freelance work than I could handle at times from 3 different studios.....

For along time I wondered who purchased those 30 x 40 inch portraits I would see sitting at various studios and let myself get depressed over the fact that I could not sell anything larger than 16 x 20's.......
I finally found out by talking with the Pro Processors that all the really large prints were for the studios themselves to hang for the cleints to view.....so here in Wichita if you entered into a studio and saw a portrait of a Beech or Garvy family member hanging in the gallery your were supposed to be impressed......and buy those giant prints for $500 of your senior son or daughter.......

Do yourself a favor and do not worry too much about what someone in NY or LA or Denver or Chicago or Detroit gets for a portrait or wedding....look at your own market area and test it...your prices do not have to be carved into granite....prices fluctuate all the time,.....but be comfortable with your prices, remember the last line of your pricing sheet, web page or whatever your using should state......"PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE".
For weddings get signed contracts stating what your providing to hold down on the probs later after the event......speaking of events....a wedding is definitly an event...a huuuuuge event...but not the same as a motocross race or a RC boat / car race.....unless you are contracted for such an event I do not believe that they will warrant as high of pricing as an event such as a wedding or family reunion etc......

SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE.....hope it helps

Shay Stephens · August 30, 2006

The whole idea behind the book, if you follow it and apply what it teaches, is to get you to determine your own prices, the prices you need to stay in business. Many people have no idea where to start, and the book will give you that starting point. It even shows examples of prices, and I find the biggest value to that is as a guide and a way to determine relative price variance between various projects and such.

If you are looking for a magic bullet that tells you what to charge, then hire an accountant :-) because someone has to crunch the applicable variables to derive any kind of meaningful price.

Brett Mickelson · August 31, 2006

I am not asking about how to price my assignments and the shoots I do. I know my price and it works just great.

I am asking specifically about pricing prints on SmugMug. The people who are going to randomly buy prints on SmugMug (aside from the ones I specifically create galleries for, i.e. weddings) won't be people who have hired me, they will just be people, whether I know them or not, who would like a print.

I was just poking around for thoughts/comparisons/opinions. And I wanted to express my frustration at this book, which is outdated and incomplete. I wish Digital Grin would reccomend something better.

Shay Stephens · August 31, 2006

Brett Mickelson wrote:

I am not asking about how to price my assignments and the shoots I do. I know my price and it works just great.

I am asking specifically about pricing prints on SmugMug. The people who are going to randomly buy prints on SmugMug (aside from the ones I specifically create galleries for, i.e. weddings) won't be people who have hired me, they will just be people, whether I know them or not, who would like a print.

I was just poking around for thoughts/comparisons/opinions. And I wanted to express my frustration at this book, which is outdated and incomplete. I wish Digital Grin would reccomend something better.

The rationale behind coming up with your own pricing for assignments and shoots is the same as deciding what to charge for prints or any other deliverable. What do you need to charge to make it worthwhile and profitable for you. What price would make you happy and yet still attract your target customers.

If you just want someone to tell you what to do, how about this...charge $1 dollar over cost. Let me guess, that is rediculous right? Ok, that price does not make you happy, so then, what would make you happy. Write it down. Try it and see how well it works.

You seem to be approaching this as if your photography were a commodity like rice or beans. If your work is such that there is nothing to distinguish it from anyone else, then commodity pricing may be appropriate, but if you aspire and attain greater hieghts of artistry than the merely generic, you should let your pricing reflect that.

Pricing Photography vs. Print Pricing

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